Appraisal seeks representative architectures

By Sun Yuanqing (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2014-04-15 18:26

Ten buildings are to be selected as representative of contemporary architecture and concerns in an appraisal initiated by the Architecture and Culture Society of China and Peking University, the jury announced on Tuesday.

The appraisal aims to discover and promote the kind of architecture that best suits China's current development at a time when cities are dominated by outlandish skyscrapers, said Liu Linghong, deputy secretary-general of the Architecture and Culture Society of China.

"We want to draw attention to issues like environmental impact, the preservation of ancient architecture and resource conservation. The point is not to evaluate the past, but to illuminate the future," Liu said.

The 20 buildings on a shortlist were selected from a pool of more than 1,000 skyscrapers built or being built from 1994 through 2014. They include the CCTV headquarters, China World Trade Center Tower III and the Xiangshan campus at the China Academy of Art by Pritzker-winning architect Wang Shu.

The final 10 will be chosen by public votes and an expert panel from the architectural sector, the real estate industry and public opinion leaders. Online votes will account for 40 percent of the result, and the jury's decision, 60 percent.

"This is not an appraisal of pure architecture aesthetics or artistic value. It also looks at the social and cultural impact of the buildings. Some of the 20 buildings are not up to standard from an aesthetic point of view, but their impact is hard to ignore," said Wang Mingxian, chairman of the panel and deputy director of architectural research at the China Art Research Institute.

The 20 buildings on the shortlist are:

The National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, Beijing

CCTV headquarters, dubbed the Dakucha, or "Big Boxers", by local residents because of its shape, Beijing

China Zun, a skyscraper in the Central Business District of Beijing

China World Trade Center Tower III, Beijing

Central Park Plaza, Beijing

The Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai

The Shanghai Tower

Shanghai World Financial Center

Zendai Himalayas Center, Shanghai

Xiangshan campus at the China Academy of Art, Hangzhou

Canton Tower, Guangzhou